Teaching effectiveness of surgeons

Background Evaluation of clinical teaching is essential for feedback to teachers, and for reliable and valid data for the purpose of promotion and tenure. Methods The teaching effectiveness of 43 surgeons was evaluated continuously over a 9-year period. Stability of Teaching Effectiveness Scores (TES) over the 9-year period, correlation with age, and the changes after academic promotion were analyzed. Results A total of 3,750 evaluations were completed. The average of 10 evaluations per surgeon per year gave an intraclass correlation of 0.65. The mean TES did not show any significant change over the 9 years. The majority of the “good” and “average” surgeons maintained their TES ratings, and most of the “poor” group improved their TES. The age of the surgeon was not a factor. Most surgeons had a decrease in their TES after academic promotion. Conclusions A reliable system of teaching evaluation was achieved. Teaching scores were stable over time for good and average teachers, whereas the poor teachers tended to improve their scores.